Chapter 1 - The Rejected Daughter

AURORA P.O.V

"Aurora!" Quincy, my older sister, called my name. I was inside my bedroom preparing to sleep after returning from the restaurant where I work as a waitress.

"Yes, sister," I rushed out of my room to meet her. My sister stood there, towering above me. I wasn't up to her shoulder. I was like the rejected daughter in my family.

All my siblings were Beta Wolves, and I was born an Omega. Because of this, my entire family looked down on me.

"Where are the jade earrings I kept in my locker? Did you steal them?" Quincy asked, her eyes narrowing at me.

Quincy was more favored by our parents. They believe she will become Alpha Xander's mate. After all, she was 20 years old, and I was 17.

"I didn't take your earrings. What would I use them for?" I asked, subtly annoyed because she always blamed me first.

"We have two maids in this house. Why not ask them first?" I replied bluntly, but she smacked me so hard across my left cheek that my head spun and I almost collapsed to the ground.

I staggered backward, staring at her in shock.

"Quincy, you slapped me?" I asked, holding my left cheek as tears brimmed in my eyes.

"I will slap you again if you don't tell me where you hid my earrings. You know how much I love those jade earrings because Alpha Xander gave them to me last year on my 19th birthday. Did you steal them to wear to his party tonight?" she asked, her tone sharp, anger boiling in her veins.

The rest of my family came downstairs into the living room. They obviously treasured Quincy, whom they believed would become the future Luna and bring them blessings. Meanwhile, I was the cursed child.

"Quincy, what's going on?" Our mother, Sarah Stanley, asked as she walked into the corridor first to meet us. My father and my older brother trailed behind her.

"Mom," Quincy broke down sobbing, as if I had slapped her. "Mom, Aurora stole my jade earring," she cried into our mother's arms.

Our mother was an Omega by birth, but she looked down on Omegas after marrying my father, the Beta of this pack.

"Is that true, Aurora?" Mom asked, her eyes hardening. "Hand over your sister's earrings!" She stretched out her right palm, expecting me to produce the earrings I had neither seen nor taken.

"Mom, I didn't take Quincy's earrings. You're all accusing me wrongly. I just came back from work, and now Quincy called me out for her earrings. When could I have possibly stolen them?" I asked my mother, who scowled.

"Shut up, you thief!" Mom smacked me across my right cheek, and I staggered backward again, tears streaming down my face.

"Do you think I didn't notice how you admired that earring on Quincy's ear? Like you wanted to steal it because you know Alpha Xander gave it to her. Are you trying to steal his attention by taking what belongs to your sister?" Mom demanded, her words cutting into my chest like shards of glass.

I looked at her speechless. My older brother, Kaleb, a tall, 25-year-old man, walked up to me, his eyes blazing with contempt.

"Where is the earring, Aurora? An Omega like you shouldn't wear anything pricey. You are meant to work as a maid, a servant. That's what lowborns like you are born to be!" he said furiously.

Dad stepped forward and looked down at me. "Aurora, not only do you not have a wolf, you are also useless to this family. How dare you steal your sister's earrings? Guards!" Dad summoned his warriors, and two guards entered.

"Search Aurora's room for a beautiful jade earring," Dad ordered, and the two guards swung into action, heading to my room.

I was not allowed to use the rooms on the top floor. I had to live as a servant in my own father's house.

I stood in the hallway and watched the scene unfold. The guards ransacked my room, throwing my belongings everywhere.

"Dad, we'll be late for Alpha Xander's 27th birthday. This is all Aurora's doing—to make us go late," Quincy said, crying as our mother hugged her tightly.

"Don't worry. We'll find that jade earring before we leave," our mother said, her tone soft whenever she spoke to my sister.

"Found it!" the guards announced. Dread washed down my spine as the two guards walked out of my room, and one of them handed the jade earring to my father.

"How dare you do this, Aurora?" Kaleb yelled, and he rushed to smack me to the ground.

"Kaleb, that's enough. You shouldn't raise your hand on Aurora. Don't forget she is still your sister," Dad said, despite his anger.

"Dad, I reject Aurora as my sister. I cannot have a thief for a sister. Why would she steal from Quincy when she knows how special that gift is?" Kaleb fumed, and our father tried to calm him down.

"Kaleb, as a man, it's not proper to raise your hand on a woman. Leave me to handle this," Dad dismissed my brother before looking at me with disappointment.

"Tell me, Aurora. Why did you steal the jade earrings from Quincy's room?" Dad asked as I stood looking at my family, tears in my eyes.

"Dad, why would I steal from Quincy? I don't know how this jade earring ended up in my room. This house has surveillance cameras. Let's see who stole it and tried to frame me," I said. My father frowned, as if he had almost forgotten about the CCTV.

"Dad, that's right. Let's see the recording. That will be enough evidence to send Aurora to jail. She keeps bringing disgrace to us," Kaleb spat, and our father frowned—he didn't want me to go to jail.

"Dad, I didn't steal the earring. I deserve to see the footage, too," I said, and Quincy panicked.

"Dad, we're going to be late to Alpha Xander's 27th birthday party. Let's go, and when we come back, we'll deal with Aurora accordingly," Quincy spoke in her sweet, soft voice.

I looked at her face. Wasn't she my older sister? Why was it a crime if I had touched any of her things? But I knew I hadn't taken the jade earring. Quincy was framing me. But why?

I sobbed, watching them agree like a happy family.

"You're right. Let's go," our mother agreed. They were all dressed up and heading out. It was 8 p.m., and the birthday celebration would have started. Alpha Xander wanted a late-night birthday celebration.

I wasn't invited, and it wasn't as if I wanted to be around them or attend Alpha Xander's birthday.

Before our mother walked out of the corridor, she glanced back at me and said, "Let me warn you, Aurora. You shouldn't dare leave this house or show yourself at the Alpha's mansion. Got it?"

"Yes, Mom," I replied, despite my brokenness, and they left the house. The sound of their cars starting in the compound echoed as I went to my bed, sat on it, and cried my heart out to the Moon Goddess.

"Why, Moon Goddess? Why did you give me to a family that didn't want me?" I cried aloud, my sobs filling the room until a voice startled me.

"It's okay, Aurora. I am here now," the lovely voice said, and I panicked as I saw a white spirit wolf appeared beside my window.